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Houston man arrested after Bryan police say he had possible credit/debit skimming materials

An officer out on patrol said they became suspicious when the man went to different pumps at the gas station.
Credit: BRAZOS COUNTY JAIL
Eduardo Hernandez, 35, of Houston, is charged with unlawful use of a criminal instrument. He's accused of having material consistent with that of credit and debit card skimmers. An officer said he saw Hernandez at a gas station driving to different pumps and became suspicious.

BRYAN, Texas — A Houston man has been arrested after an officer out on patrol became suspicious over his behavior at a local gas station and initiated a traffic stop.

Eduardo Hernandez, 35, is charged with unlawful use of a criminal instrument. He was also arrested for not having a valid driver's license. He's accused of having wires or a device commonly used for credit and/or debit card skimmers at gas pumps. Hernandez maintains he doesn't know anything about the wires or device.

It happened Tuesday morning at a gas station and convenience store on Boonville Road. An officer out on patrol just after 2 a.m. said they saw a vehicle parked at one of the gas pumps in the parking lot but no one had gotten out of the vehicle.

The officer said they watched the vehicle pull up to several pumps at the store but could not tell if anyone got out of the vehicle before moving on to the next pump. A short time later, the officer said the vehicle left the gas station and drove away.

The officer said as they followed the vehicle, it turned around on Booneville Road and began driving in the opposite direction. The officer said they initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver as Hernandez. Hernandez told the officer his vehicle was having problems and that's why he had been traveling from pump to pump, according to court documents.

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After searching the vehicle, officers said they found wires and gift cards in the center console that are consistent with the use of credit and/or debit card skimmers. The skimmers are often found on gas pumps or ATM machines and are used to steal unsuspecting customer's financial information. The gift cards are often used to transfer the information from the skimmer to a form of payment, according to authorities.

Hernandez told the officers at the scene he didn't know anything about the skimmer wires. He has since bonded out of the Brazos County Jail.

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